Free Republic

(Reuters) - Snow piled up in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday after two days of record-breaking snowfall that had already surpassed 5 feet (1.5 meters), breaking city and state records, according to the National Weather Service. Though residents are used to winter snow squalls blowing in from adjacent Lake Erie, which straddles the border with Canada, the Christmas storm is already one for the ages. "This is an incredible amount of snow that we're trying to move," the Erie Police Department said in statement after the city declared a "snow emergency" on Tuesday, imploring people to stay off the streets.

For many parts of the nation, a prolonged period of punishing cold is just getting started. The cold snap that descended on much of the nation from the Rockies eastward on Christmas Eve is predicted to become further entrenched and even more biting in the coming days. The worst of the cold may grip the central United States from Saturday through New Year’s Day, when temperatures may fall more than 30 degrees below normal. Then it may spill eastward. As the Arctic air poured over the Great Lakes, it produced astronomical snowfall amounts. An incredible 53 inches of snow piled...

We know, we know. It's August and it's hot and humid and it seems like it will never be cold again. But:~SNIP~And you better start preparing because according to the Long Range Weather Forecast released by The Old Farmer's Almanac, this one is going to be a real doozy. Every region of the U.S. will be hit with a different type of terrible. The Northeast and Midwest can expect "colder than normal" temperatures and precipitation is supposed to be "above normal." If you're in the Pacific Northwest, you can expect a lot of rain and chilly weather. And in the...